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One aspect of battery-electric vehicle (BEV) ownership with which many owners struggle is public charging. Depending on where you reside, the network can be spotty, unreliable, or practically nonexistent. However, Tesla’s “private” Supercharger network is much better, and has recently been opened up to owners of non-Tesla vehicles.
In order to access the Tesla Supercharger network, you need two things aside from an EV. First, establish a Tesla account. It makes billing much easier and will allow you to enjoy some savings if you are a regular user of the network. Second, if your vehicle has the outgoing CCS-style female socket for DC charging, you will need an adapter to make the Tesla NACS-style male plug work with your vehicle. Bolts that have DC charging capability (most do, but not all), have CCS, so you need an adapter. One we like is the Lectron NACS to CCS 500 Amp “Vortex” adapter.
Where to Source the Lectron NACS to CCS 500 Amp Vortex Adapter
You can purchase a Lectron Vortex adapter from Lectron directly, or you can buy one on Amazon. It’s $184.99 with free shipping from Lectron directly, and Amazon has it priced as this story is written at $199.99. It’s in stock for immediate delivery.
JH’s Story - “My Lectron Adapter Works Great!”
We found the image you see at our top of page and a post by JH at the Facebook Chevy Bolt EV and EUV Owners Group. It’s a very good club, with a friendly membership and helpful Admin team. JH posted, “First time using a Tesla charger…it’s amazing how awkwardly you have to park with these. Lectron adapter works great!” The post pretty much sums up the message of our story, but JH was kind enough to expand on the post a bit for us.
Torque News - JH, Can you tell us how you found out about the Lectron adapter, and where you purchased it?
JH - I got it on Amazon and I paid $200. It was recommended by my partner, who also drives an EV.
Torque News - Can you tell us a bit about the image?
JH - It shows me using the Lectron adapter to charge a Chevy bolt EUV at an older Supercharger.
Torque News - In your area, is using the Lectron adapter at the Supercharger network helpful to you, by comparison to relying on other public charging methods?
JH - Yes, it makes it so I can access the whole network. I love it! It’s very easy to use, solid, and works excellently!
Torque News - Any thoughts on the Supercharger network to share with our readers?
JH - I don’t like Elon Musk, but the Tesla network is the best out there.
Torque News - Tell us about your Bolt. We are big fans of the model here at Torque News.
JH- I’ve had a 2022 Bolt EUV premier for about two months, and I love it.
Torque News - One last question. Where and how do you charge most of the time?
JH - I usually level 2 charge at home.
Our thanks for JH’s help in highlighting the new Lectron NACS to CCS adapter. Lectron is a brand of EVSE products that Torque News has tested and reviewed many times. In fact, it was the brand we turned to for our very first EV charger when we began testing and reviewing plug-in vehicles many years ago.
If you have charged a non-Tesla vehicle at a Supercharger, tell us about your experience in the comments section below.
If you have any tips for new EV owners, please place them below so we can all learn best practices.
John Goreham is a credentialed New England Motor Press Association member and expert vehicle tester. John completed an engineering program with a focus on electric vehicles, followed by two decades of work in high-tech, biopharma, and the automotive supply chain before becoming a news contributor. He is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE int). In addition to his eleven years of work at Torque News, John has published thousands of articles and reviews at American news outlets. He is known for offering unfiltered opinions on vehicle topics. You can connect with John on Linkedin and follow his work on his personal X channel or on our X channel. Please note that stories carrying John's by-line are never AI-generated, but he does employ grammar and punctuation software when proofreading and he also uses image generation tools.
Image used with permission of JH.
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